BERKELEY / Woman Who Filed Lawsuit Convicted of Perjury

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, October 7, 2000

A Berkeley woman who filed a $1 million lawsuit after a postal vehicle caused $63 damage to her car has been convicted of perjury for lying about the nature of her injuries and accusing a court reporter of wrongdoing.

Joan McKenna, 53, was convicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on Wednesday of two counts of perjury and one count of giving false declarations. The verdict came after a four-day trial before U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer.

After a December 1994 crash with a postal vehicle, McKenna claimed injuries to her neck and back. She was indicted for not disclosing a November 1994 accident when asked about old injuries.